Nira Pereg

Sabbath, 2008

In her oeuvre, Israeli artist Nira Pereg (b. 1969) looks at the rituals and habits of her countrymen. Using her documentary approach, she observes how religious life in Israel influences urban life, for instance, through the closure of an ultra-orthodox district in Jerusalem on the evening before the Sabbath. For 24 hours, residents put up roadblocks so as to be able to celebrate their religious day of rest. The enforcement of the rules does not unite people, but divides them, because the presence of these barriers visibly splits the city into secular and religious sections. Since the establishment of the State of Israel this strict religiosity has led to repeated conflicts within society. Pereg renders the division visible through sound. Whilst the everyday street noises and conversation are halted, the sound of people pushing the barriers across the tarmac becomes louder.

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